Step 7: Sketch file (just in case)

Step 8: Scroll "MAKESPACE MADRID"

If everything worked fine, your LED matrices should start scrolling the text "MAKESPACE MADRID" as shown in the video. Study the code in the example...

This project is based on a workshop that we organised at Makespace Madrid as part of "La noche de la electrónica con Jameco". In a previous instructable we already introduced how to manage a single LED matrix with Arduino. In this project we connect multiple matrices to display text messages.

It is recommended that you have followed the previous instructable before you do this one.

Sir, i am a daily visitor in instructables....i planned to. make scrolling led matrix bar display in front of my shop...i want to display services like photostat,print,recharge,scanning , etc. In a scrolling manner......can you please give me a guideline to do this work.....thanksJibinjibinsabu24@gmail.com

i have this problem of my home made 16 by 8 led matrix does not scroll one message continuously. well i have used two max 7219 and they are in a daisy chain but i just see the text scrolling like they are two independent chips! what could be the problem

How many led modules can I connect togeter? Firts of all, I'm concerned about power supply. I'm going to connect 5-7 modules together. Is it possible? Should I change something or just follow your instruction?

You need a scrolling function in the library that is not implemented right now. Basically you need to display characters column by column starting at a "random" column number. Then you start displaying characteres starting at the last column of the last matrix and start moving them column by column until you arrive to the first column of the first matrix.

It is not diffciult and you can code it if you want it but it takes a little bit more time.

I finally got around to work on you library. I added two new characters or figures. its very easy to create new characters but it is a little bit time consuming. I will try two make more when I get a chance probably lowercase and all special characters plus a few figures, happy face, skulls, flowers, hearts...ect

The library where characters are defined is freely available. There is also an example of how to code a new char in the Comments section. If that is not enough, please come back with a more concrete question. Good luck!

The library where characters are defined is freely available. There is also an example of how to code a new char in the Comments section. If that is not enough, please come back with a more concrete question. Good luck!

I have not made it, but it should be simple using a real time clock (RTC) connected to the Arduino. you could also use the Arduino clock, but it would not be that precise and you would have to set the time value after every reset of the Arduino.

If you search internet (instructables, adafruit,...) there are plenty of tutorials/kits to build a LED-matrix clock.

You can add new chars by addind their binary representation to the alphabetBitmap array in LEDControlMS.h file

Every new character is represented by 6 byes (each byte corresponds to one column of 8 bits/pixels). Note that also have to change the size of the array (the current version of the library has 41 characters -> alphabetBitmap[41][6]

Finally you must also update the method int LedControl::getCharArrayPosition(char input) in LEDControlMS.cpp to consider the new characters that you have added to the array.

I tried but i.just couldnt get it to work and i search the whole web but only found arrays with 7 and 8 bytes. Like I said before my programming skills are very limited. The charracter that I need is "@" what would be the binary representation in 6 bytes

the code worked great I just had to modify it a little because i am using 5. I play the accordion and I want to add the led matrix to the front on the accordion and display some info and also want to have an audio spectrum analyzer and a mic so that when I start to play ill have so graphics on the matrix. my programming skills are very limited like I said before but I researching and looking for some code for the analyzer. I plan to have two buttons one for the power and then one to cycle the display example push once " Gabbanelli " another push and " name and phone # " another push spectrum analyzer.

this picture is from a few days ago of the when I was making the base for my leds I will post a full instructable of the finish accordion when I am done mounting it and painting it.

thank you for all the help. I repair accordions as a hobby but I am a diesel mechanic so if you ever need to know anything about accordions of cars let me know.